It was once thought that online casinos have less appeal to women than to their male counterparts. More recent evaluations prove that is no longer be the case. To the contrary, online gaming is gaining such interest among women that it is now more interesting to the fair sex than even drugs or alcohol. The most recent studies show that women are just as comfortable as men playing in online casinos.
The ladies appear to be more stable in their choice of casino games than men, who tend to change from one slot or game to another. Women, however, seem to know their favorites and to stick with them most of the time. They don’t constantly switch in pursuit of a more profitable machine. Their viewpoint seems to be based on their understanding that, in the long run, all slot machines are pretty much the same.
There is a common misperception that women would be more cautious, even timid, in their gaming behaviors. The ladies like exciting games and risky bets. When women make the decision to participate in gaming, they tend to place bets of average or greater size. They have little trepidation when it comes to the possibility of losing. The truth is, the more excitement they feel, the larger the risk they are willing to take. This would indicate that they gamble less for the goal of winning money and more for the sheer fun of the games and their risks.
A female gamer feels free to leave the online casino once she has experienced the diversion and enjoyment she seeks. There is none of the time spent analyzing and strategizing in which men are known to engage. The success of a gaming session isn’t the determining factor in a woman’s decision to end it. The ladies generally assume the attitude that it is better to quit with a more modest win than to continue to gamble simply in hopes of scoring a higher return on their investment.
As for losing, women don’t have the typical male mindset that pushes them to keep gambling when they’re losing, in an effort to regain what they’ve lost. Men often go beyond their own reasonable limits in pursuit of lost money. Female gamers do not generally throw caution to the wind to recoup losses. They will more likely stop at a more modest point, knowing that they can later return to the casino and possibly experience a change of fortune.
It is observable that women have a favorite when it comes to gambling online. They play slot machines more than they participate in other games. Bingo and video poker trail the slots in their preferences, and blackjack and roulette are not favored by the ladies online.
While, in most cases, women take fewer risks and behave with more moderation than male gamblers at online casinos, there is a growing problem of online gambling addiction among females. It has been suggested that this a tendency created by work stress. Women have found gambling from their home an escape preferable to the lack of control that would result from resorting to drinking or drugs. They seek a diversion to relieve the stress and online casinos provide the perfect outlet. The women can be at home with their families, quit the casino on a moment’s notice, and then suffer no lingering consequences from their activities.
Unfortunately, as the visits to the online casinos continue, women are falling into addictive gambling at an alarming rate. The percentage of calls to helplines show that about 33% of men calling in sought help with gambling addiction, while more than half of the calls from women dealt with the same issue. Women seeking help with gambling addiction come from all social strata and frequently include individuals who have experienced domestic abuse or harmful relationships. The preponderance of women with gambling problems are either single parents or women living alone.
It is interesting to note, therefore, that while women see online casinos as a safe and manageable alternative to other leisure activities, they must exercise caution regarding the role that the gambling assumes in their daily lives. Although they approach it often with more moderation than men, it can be very damaging to those who are vulnerable to its easy availability.
